By John RittenhouseAnother second-half rally by the Luverne football team propelled the Cardinals into the semifinal round of the Section 3AAA Playoffs Tuesday in Luverne.Trailing 10-0 with less than 5:00 remaining in the third quarter, the third-seeded Cardinals scored 13 unanswered points in a span of 7:50 to pull out a 13-10 victory over No. 2 Minnewaska Area.The victory, which raises Luverne’s record to 7-2, sends the Cardinals to Fairmont Saturday for a 3 p.m. clash in the section semifinals. Fairmont, which nipped Marshall 17-14 Tuesday, is the section’s second-seeded team.Tuesday’s comeback against the Lakers proved to be nearly as dramatic as the final regular season game against Windom Oct. 20.The Cards fell behind the Eagles 20-9 in fourth quarter before putting together a pair of scoring drives in the final 6:00 of the game to earn a 24-20 win.MA took advantage of some sluggish plays by LHS to open a 10-0 cushion during the playoff opener. Luverne, however, scored a touchdown late in the third quarter and found the end zone again with 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter to gain a three-point advantage it would never relinquish.The Luverne defense, which has played a big part in the team’s success, came up with a number of key plays to spur the Cardinals to victory.A three-and-out series by the LHS offense led to a punt that gave MA the ball on its own 18-yard line eight minutes into the third period.A fumble on the first play of MA’s possession ended up in the hands of Luverne defender Brad Herman, giving the Cardinals the ball on the Lakers’ 24.Four plays later, Luverne quarterback Nick Heronimus delivered a four-yard touchdown pass to Mike Kunstle to make it a 10-6 game with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter. Luverne’s extra-point attempt failed.The Lakers picked up a pair of first downs during their next offensive possession before the Cardinal defense forced MA to punt. The snap from center sailed over the punter’s head, who ran down the bouncing ball but was tackled immediately by Luverne’s Derek Elbers.The LHS offense took over on the MA 29, but its first three plays yielded limited success. Facing a fourth-and-seven situation on the 26, Luverne receiver Herman split the Lakers’ secondary and hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Heronimus with 7:44 left to play in the fourth quarter. Heronimus booted the extra point to give the Cards a 13-10 lead.MA possessed the ball three more times in the game, but the Lakers couldn’t produce any points against Luverne’s stingy defense.The Lakers moved the ball to the Luverne 30 with less than five minutes remaining, but a run during a fourth-and-six situation ended one-yard short of a first down.Four straight incomplete passes by the Lakers ended a possession on their own 49-yard line with 2:19 remaining. MA got the ball back with 1:11 left to play and advanced it to the Luverne 30, but senior defensive lineman Jose Saravia recorded a key sack by himself before sharing a sack with linebacker Nate Siebenahler on the final play of the game.Niether team could produce any points in the game’s first quarter, but the Lakers drew first blood in the game late in the second period.After a long punt return into LHS territory, MA moved the ball 18 yards in four plays to the nine. Facing a fourth-and-six situation, the Lakers called on kicker Cody Pahan, who delivered a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.The Lakers increased their lead to 10-0 with their second offensive possession of the second half.MA’s Scott Gullickson picked off a Luverne pass and returned it to the Cardinals’ six-yard line at the 5:04 mark of the third quarter. Lakers’ running back Alex Brainarn scampered six yards for a touchdown on the first play of the ensuing possession, and Pahan added the extra point for a 10-point advantage.Team statisticsLuverne: 80 rushing yards, 89 passing yards, 169 total yards, five first downs, two penalties, one turnover.MA: 158 rushing yards, 107 passing yards, 265 total yards, 14 first downs, five penalties, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: Ben Nath 12-28, Jake Hendricks 7-20, Scott Goebel 3-minus 7, Elbers 5-14, Heronimus 1-8, Herman 1-17.Passing: Heronimus 9-18 for 89 yards.Receiving: Herman 3-71, Jared Pick 3-19, Hendricks 1-minus 8, Mike Kunstle 1-3, Elbers 1-4.Defense: Herman one fumble recovery, Saravia three sacks, Tony Willers one sack, Siebenahler one sack.